Baby nipples



1961 c. BLANCHETT 2,970,595

BABY NIPPLES Filed Feb. 12, 1959 United States Patent BABY NIPPLES CarlBlanchett, New York, NY. (Warren Hills Apt. 28A, Gail Drive, Nyack, NY.)

Filed Feb. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 792,768

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-252) This invention relates to baby nipples and hasfor its principal object the creation of a more elficient nipple in thatit is constructed to fit the infants mouth. Another object of thisinvention is to improve the placement of air valve intakes for thenipple so that they are located at opposite ends of a long transverseaxis below the apices of a sinusoidal rim. A further object of thisinvention is to improve the function of the air valve by having the airinlets held. in an unobstructed position in the corners of the babysmouth when sucking.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appearthroughout the following specification and claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top view of the improved nipple;

Figure 2 is a front view of the nipple.

Figure .3 is a side view ofthe nipple.

Figure 4 is a top view of a modification of thenipple showingarefinement. in the basic design.

Figure is a side view of the refined nipple showing how it fits themouth when in use.

This invention is based on the following principles and anatomicalfacts:

(1) The cavity of the mouth is a nearly ovalshaped cavity Grays Anatomy,Twenty-Fifth Edition, page 1151.

(2) In regard to the human breast its cephalocaudal diameter is somewhatless than its transverse diameter. Grays Anatomy, Twenty-Fifth Edition,page 1319.

(3) In the sucking position, the infants lips assume a roughlysinusoidal curve with the corners of the lips at the apices.

(4) The upper lip is long than the lower lip; the angles of the mouthare low and posteriorly placed.

The first three facts may be utilized in the construction of a babynipple by making the body elliptical and by making a three dimensionalsinusoidal rim for the lips at the widest portion of the body of thenipple. In addition, the fourth fact may be utilized, provided that thebody is made ovoid, but asymmetrical about a displaced long axis as willbe described.

By referring to the drawing, Figure 1 shows how the body is madeoval-shaped. Figures 2, 3 and 5 illustrate the sinusoidal rim designatedby 1. The crest of this rim is rounded or filleted and would notordinarily show as a line in the drawing; but because of the importanceof illustrating and describing the concept of this invention a departurefrom mechanical drawing convention has been employed and the crest ofthe rim shown by a dash-dot line. The apices of the rim are indicated by2 and the nadirs by 3. The apices of this rim are intended to fit in theangles of the mouth and provide a propitious site for the placement ofthe air valve 7 immediately below. The combination of this sinusoidalrim with the oval-shape elevates the leading edge 4 in Figure 2 of thenipple so that the corners of the mouth are comfortably accommodatedand, at the same time,

2,970,595 Patented Feb. 7, 1961 ice accentuates the transverse diameteras compared to the cephalocaudal diameter as may be realized bycomparing the contours in Figures 2 and 3.

This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application,Serial Number 784,597, filed January 2, 1959.

The best method for venting the nipple is by means of the valve 7 whichconsists of an elastic tube with a longitudinal slit in its mid-portion.It is installed so as to span the nipple with the ends or air intakeslocated below the apices of the sinusoidal rim; and thereby, held inunobstructed positions in the corners of the babys mouth when in use.The valve is responsive to changes in pressure and the slit opens toadmit air to the bottle during sucking and closes preventing leakagewhen suction is released. Normally, at rest, the resilient valve isclosed. However, it is influenced by changing mechanical forces in thatcompressional forces transmitted from the nipple tend. to buckle thevalve open and tensional forces tending to stretch the valve will bringthe slit into the closed position. These mechanical features areimportant in that when suction tends to collapse the nipple thecollapsing effect buckles the valve wider admitting more air and therebydefeating the collapsing effect. This makes it a true pressureregulating valve. The closing effect by tension is advantageous whenpressure from chewing is transmitted to the valve. The valve alsoprovides a mechanical tensional guy against collapse sagittally and alsoa compressional strut against collapse transversely.

To further elaborate on the use of. this niple the: flange 6 and theneck 5 are circular and therefore designed to be used with conventionaltypes of circular retaining caps and bottles, the oval body of thenipple being pushed through the round hole in the retaining cap and theensemble. screwed on to a nursing bottle thereby gripping the flange inthe usual manner. The nipple may also be inverted into the nursingbottle for sterilization and transported by employing the usual sealingdisc.

A significant difference in the use of this nipple is that its isintended to be held in the infants mouth in a particular manner; namely,so that the long axis of the body extends from one angle of the mouth tothe other thereby placing the apices of the sinusoidal rim and the airintakes or ends of the valve in unobstructed positions at the corners ofthe mouth. Since this nipple is symmetrical about both axes it may berotated in the babys mouth with no change in fit or function.

Figure 4 and 5 illustrate a refinement in the basic nipple justdescribed which incorporates the anatomical facts that the upper lip islonger than the lower lip and the angles of the month are depressed andposteriorly placed. The lips in Figure 5 illustrate these anatomicalpoints.

Figure 4 shows a top view of the refined nipple wherein the body isovoid and asymmetrical about a transverse axis displaced toward thelower lip so that the part 8 above the valve in contact with the upperlip is greater than part 9 below the valve in contact with the lowerlip. The air valve is placed in this greatest transverse axis below theapices of the sinusoidal rim which are correspondingly offset so as tobe more accurately aligned with the angles of the babys mouth. Theoffset of the valve and the concurrent displacement of the greatesttransverse axis can be readily visualized by comparing the position ofthe valve and the shape of the body in Figures 1 and 4. Notice that thecentral oval representing the terminal part of the nipple remains in thesame place. The alignment of the air intakes and the apices of thesinusoidal rim with the angles of the mouth as a result of this offsetis shown in Figure 5 where the adaptation between the mouth and nippleis emphasized.

In contrast to the basic nipple first described, this latter refinementhas a left and a right for-the corresponding corners of the mouth; asurface for the upper lip and a surface for the lower lip; and isintended to be held in the babys mouth accordingly in only this oneposition.

The advantages of this nipple'and its refinement are physiological. Inparticular, consider the problem of the newborn who in order to betaught how to suck a circular nipple has to have his cheeks pressedinwardly against the nipple. The difliculty here is trying toaccommodate the babys oval mouth to a circular nipple. The presentinvention permits the bady to hold his mouth in a more comfortableanatomical position than is possible with conventional circular nipplesand therefore facilitates his sucking. Also, as a result of a betteraccommodation in the corners of the mouth the child does not losesuction through the corners of his mouth as happens with the old stylenipples and sucks more continuously and swallows much less air. Anotheradvantage of the present invention is that the air intakes are held inthe corners of the mouth where it is practically impossible for thebabys lips to obstruct them.

The reason that a basic design and a refinement are presented is becausethe basic nipple is symmetrical and, therefore, may lend itself moreeconomically to mass production. On the other hand, the refined nipplemay be made available as a more deluxe product.

It should be understood that certain detail changes may be employedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention, so long as suchchanges fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a baby nipple having an oval-shaped body inconjunction with a three dimensional sinusoidal rim creating a nipplewhich fits the babys mouth when the long axis of the oval is placedtransversely in the mouth and concurrently the apices of the sinusoidalrim placed in the corners of the mouth with an integral tubular airvalve placed in the long axis below the apices of the sinusoidal rim sothat the ends or air intakes are held unobstructed in the corners of thebabys mouth when sucking.

2. In combination, a baby nipple having an ovoidshaped body that isasymmetric about a displaced long axis in conjunction with a threedimensional sinusoidal rim so made that the apices are offset to alignaccurately with the corners of the mouth thereby creating a nipple witha larger upper surface for the upper lip and a smaller lower surface forthe lower lip; the nipple fitting the mouth perfectly when the long axisis placed transversely in the mouth and the apices of the sinusoidal rimplaced in the corners of the mouth with-anintegral tubular air valveplaced in the long axis so that the ends or air intakes fall in theoffset position immediately below the apices of the sinusoidal rim andare held unobstructed in the corners of the baby's mouth when sucking.

3. The combination of a baby nipple comprising a hollow base portion forattachment to a bottle, an intermediate areola portion being widertransverselythan sagittally, and a terminally rounded feeding tipportion; and an integral transversely mounted air valve comprising aresilient tube with a slit, said nipple functioning to close said valveby exerting axial tension on the elastic tube thereby approximating theedges ofthe slit preventing leakage during compression sagittally asfrom biting and also to actuate said valve to open by flexion due tosuction during nursing V I K I p V References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS

